Foldable cushion



March 20, 1956 H. JAFFE ETAL FOLDABLE CUSHION 2 Sheets-Shea?l l FiledJuly 17, 1953 INVENTORS zgf@ Hzr Bylule CZZ'LJMG March 20, 1956 H..JAFFE ErAL FOLDABLE CUSHION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 17, 1953INVENTORSZ Harz' Juf e ancznuel? )in Q 4% ATTORNEY United States Pam-* y2,738,334 p Y IFOLDABL cUsHIoN Harry-'Jaffe and Manuel Philadelphia, Pa.Applictiontuiy 17, 1953, senat N. 3,613,751` p 2 claims. y (cl. 15s-182) Y y The present invention relates generally to pads, cushions andmats and the like, and it relates more particularly to articles of thistype which fare intended to be carried about from place to place for usein different localities.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and usefulfoldable pad, cushion or mat or the like, as Well as a vnovel method offorming the same. Another object of the present invention is to providea novel pad, cushion, mat or the like which can be opened for sitting orreclining comfort, andrwhich can be folded and secured quickly andeasily for convenience in transportation. Other objects and advantagesof the present invention are apparent in the following detaileddescription, appended claims and accompanying drawings forming` parthereof.

At various outdoor places of entertainment, such as ball games,concerts, etc., the seating accommodations consist of wood or concretebenches, which are hard and extremely uncomfortable. As a result, manypatrons bring with them stuffed cushions or padswhich are bulky andclumsy to carry. A similar problemexists at beaches,

picnic grounds, etc., to which it is customary to bring large and bulkymats or pads for comfort in reclining.

The present inventioncontemplates a novel construction for such pads,cushions, mats and the like, which will enable vthem to be folded up andsecured in the form of a compact, easily transportable package, capableof being opened instantaneously to provide a soft and comfortablelarge-area seating or reclining surface.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in theaccompanying drawings a form thereof which Y is presently preferredandwhich has been found in practice to'give satisfactory results. However,the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements andinstrumentalities shown; variationsand equivalents thereof being withinthe purview of the invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like referencecharacters indicate likeparts throughout:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a folded seat cushion or pad embodyingthe present invention, shown Vin position for insertion into a carryingcase or envelope.

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the folded cushion of Fig.1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the cushion of Fig. 2 shown in atunfolded position, ready for use.-

Figure '4 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the line 4-4ofl Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the line 5 5 ofFig. 3.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the line 6 6 ofFig. 3.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the cushion of Figs. 2 and 3 showingan intermediate stage in the folding operation.

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the last stage of the foldingoperation.

Figure 9 is a perspective view showing an intermediate stage in themethod of forming the cushion of Figs. 2 and 3.

2,738,834 Patented Mar. 20, 19,56

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lz Figure l0 is a perspective view showing a subsequent stage in themethod of forming the cushion of Figs. 2 'and 3.

In Figs. l-10, there is shown a foldable seat cushion or pad forming oneembodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the cushion. isformedof two generally rectangular panels 20 and 22 .of any suitableflexible material; i as for example wovencloth (which may be woven 'fromanyA naturalor synthetic yarn or thread) vor synthetic resin film',`etc.` The panels 20 and 22 are stitched together along peripheralrseamlines, in a manner to be hereinafter described and are also providedwith intermediate criss-crossing seam lines which form spaced pocketswithin which are disposed individual blocks of foam rubber which formthe padding of thecushion.V

As best shown in Fig. 9,- it is possible to provide nine of theindividual foam rubber blocks, of varying sizes. rThus, the center block24 may be the largest in size and generally square in configuration.Outward of, and parallel to the four sidesV of the center block 24, wemay provide four rectangular blocks 26 having alongitudinal dimensiongenerally the same as the length of the sides of the centerrblock,buthaving a somewhat smallertransverse dimension. At the corners, we mayprovide four more blocks 28 which are generally square; the length ofthe sides being generally the same as the transverse dimension of theblocks 2 f The blocks 24, 26 and 28 are spaced from each other to permitthem to he encased in individual pockets or compartments as will behereinafter described. Mounted adjacent one edge of the panel 20 is amale snap-fastener element 3u, while a female snapfastener element 32 ismounted adjacent the opposite edge of the panel 22. In other words, whenthe cushion is in flat unfolded position, one of the elements facesupwardand the other downwardas indicated in Figs. 3, 5 and 6.

in producing the cushion of Figs.'2 and 3, the sponge rubber blocks 24,26 and 2S may irst be adhesively or i otherwise suitablyaffixed to oneface'of the panel 26,

after which the panel 22 is stitched to theother face of the panel 20 byseam lines 34 extending along three sides thereof, as indicated in Fig.9.

The partially stitched panels 20 and 22 are then turned inside out, inthe manner shown in Fig. l0, after which the fourth edges of the twopanels are united by a seam line V35. lt should be noted that, when thetwo panels are turned inside out as mentioned above, the conguration ischanged to place the rubber blocks between the two panels as illustratedin Fig. 10.

Thereafter, a continuous rectangular seam line 38 is sewn through thepanels 20 and 22; the seam line 3S extending along the outer edges ofthe blocks 26 and 28 in encompassing relationship thereto. As indicatedin Fig. 3, the same line 38 generally parallels the seam lines 34 and 36but is spaced somewhat inward therefrom, passing just inside thesnap-fastener elements.

Finally, two pairs of criss-crossing seam lines 40 are sewn through thepanels 20 and 22 intermediate the seam line 38; the seam lines 40passing between the blocks 24, 26 and 2S. As is apparent in Figs. 3 and4, the seam lines 3S and 46 form nine generally enclosed compartments orpockets, each holding one of the rubber blocks 24, 26 and 28.

In folding up the open cushion of Fig. 3, it is folded along one pair ofseam lines 40 in the manner indicated in Fig. 7; that is, so as toposition the male element 3() in upwardly-directed relationship and withthe two sides of the cushion folded upward and inward. The transversedimension of the blocks 26 is preferably not appreciably more than halfthe dimension of the center block 24, so that, inthe position'of Fig. 7,the juxtaposed edges of the blocks 26 and 28 do not overlap (althoughthe edges of the panels beyond the seam line 38 do overlap).

This results in a attenedsleeve-like configuration havingY a thicknessnotf appreciably greater than twicev that of th'e' opened cushion' o ,fFig. 3.

The cushion is next folded upward along the opposite pair of seamlilies-.40 so as v.to bring1the snap-'fastener'element's30fand32'intb2juxtapsition5 whereupon the folded edge carryingtliefemaleelement 32 (which: now faces upwardly) is tuckedfnsidethefolded edge carrying the male element 30 (which now facesdownwardly), and the two elements-are joined `in thefmanner shown inFig. 8.

This results in' the fully; closed configuration of Fig. 2 in which thecushion'has about four times the thickness and about one-fourth` thearea of the opened configuration of Fig; 3*; v

The folded-in free edges visible in Fig. 7, as well as the folded-,edgecarrying the'female element 32 are all fullyy enclosed andconcealed inthe nal closed configurationof Fig. 2, thereby giving a neat, compactarticle which can be transported conveniently from place to place. Forexample, a seatcushion which is 16 inches square when open, with acushion area of about 13 inches square and 3A inch thick, can be foldedinto an article only slightly more than 6` inches square and onlyslightly more than 3 inches thick, which can conveniently be slippedinto a mansc'oat pocket or a womans handbag.

AWhile the folded-up cushion can be carried about in the form shown inFig. 2, it is also possible to provide a separate carrying case orenvelope 42, shown in Fig. l, having a flap 44. The envelope 42 may beof polyethylene or other suitable inexpensive material which isrelatively strong, waterproof and easy to clean. This separate carryingcase makesfor a more attractive vendible package and protects thecushion when the latter is not being used.

Snap-fastener elements 46 and 48 may be provided on the case 42, whichcan be folded up and slipped into a pocket or handbag when the cushionis in use.

It is obvious thatV the number, size and arrangement of individualblocks and pockets can be varied to provide different-size and differentproportion cushion, pads and mats. Also, although we presently prefer toemploy blocks of foam rubber as' the cushioning material, it is possibleto'use, instead, cotton, kapok, down, hair, bonded foam, or any othersuitable material for this purpose. Where down, hair or other loosematerial is used, it can either be placed into the stitched compartmentsin loose form or, instead, can first be enclosed in casings to giveminiature pillowswhich can then be placed into the compartments in anobvious manner.

In place of snap fasteners, it is possible to provide the cushion withany other conventional type of detachable closure elements such asbuttons, hook-and-eyes, slide fasteners, etc.

As used in theV appended claims, the term cushion is intended tocomprehend and' include seating pads, beach pads, floor mats, and othersimilar structures.

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f The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms and,therefore, the foregoing embodiment is to be considered merely asillustrative and not descriptive, reference to be made to the appendedclaims as indicating the scope of this invention.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent the following:

1. A portable cushion` comprising a pair of panels formed ofexiblenia'terial, sidpanels being stitched together along their edgesand being provided with additional intermediate crisscrossin'g'pairs' ofparallelv spaced panel-connecting seam lines forming a plurality ofindividual enclosed pockets, each of said pockets containing a resilientblock of foam rubber adhesively secured to one of the panels in centeredrelationship within the pocket, said cushion being foldable inwardlyalong one pair of parallel seam lines into an open-ended multi-plyconfiguration and being thereafter foldable along the other pair of seamlines to form a small-size multi-ply configuration with one of the openends inserted' within and' generally enclosed by the other, andco-acting detachable connecting means mounted at opposite edges of saidcushion and so disposed that they are brought into juxtaposition and canbe engaged' when the cushion is folded so a's to connect the aforesaidends in inserted relationship, whereby the cushion can be converted to acompact closed easily transportable package.

2. A construction according to claim 1 wherein the intermediate seamlines are so arranged as to forma generally square center pocket, fourgenerally square corner pockets each having a side dimension about halfthat of the center pocket, and four elongated generally rectangular edgepockets extending intermediate the corner pockets and havingv alongitudinal dimension generally the saine as that of the center pocketand a transverse dimension about half the longitudinal dimension, andwherein the blocks-of foam rubber correspond in shape to, but aresomewhat smaller in size than, the individual pockets, whereby thecushion can be first folded along one pair of intermediate seam lines toprovide a two-ply configuration, and then folded at right angles alongthe other pair of intermediate seam lines to provide a fourplyconfiguration in the closed package.

ReferencesV Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS885,778 Neuberger Apr. 28, 1908 1,476,697 Dwyer Dec. l1, l923 1,604,646Langer Oct. 26, 1926 1,604,658 Post oct. 26, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS491,261 Great Britain s Aug. 30, 1938 785,687 France May 20, 1935819,449 Germany Oct. 3l, 1951

